Paling Fences

ABSTRACT

A palisade or fence comprises vertical pales ( 9 ), rails ( 7,8 ) parallel with the ground surface and posts ( 6 ) set in the ground, each stretch between posts constituting a panel. The palisade is assembled without welding any part and follows the ground contour by means of its panels adjusting in pivoting fashion from rectangular shapes to parallelogram shapes at inclines or declines. This is facilitated by the pales pivoting on singular pivot formations in apertures in the rails that have clearances or tapers and the rails having pivotal or hinged connection to the posts.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention lies in the field of fencing or palisades, in particularpaling fencing; the invention is applicable to fencing of all kinds ofmaterials, including metal, timber, plastics and composites, forexample. The invention could also be applied to grids and gratings.

BACKGROUND

Paling fences are widespread and many proposals have been made for theirconstruction; they comprise generally horizontal rails or joists onwhich are mounted horizontally spaced vertically oriented pales or bars,the rails being fixed to posts or standards founded in the ground. Metalpalisades are common, and steel is by far the most used metal. A commonconstruction is in the form of panels consisting of pales welded torails in a factory and transported to site, where the panels are erectedbetween posts founded in the ground. While welding is an attractivefabrication technique and widely practised, it has the disadvantage ofsensitising steel to rust and destroys galvanizing or pre-painting atthe weld site, if that is employed. The panels are space consuming andtherefore uneconomical to transport.

Where the ground to be fenced is inclined it is usual to keep the palesand the posts vertical and rails horizontal, the panels being raised orlowered step-wise to accommodate the rising or falling ground. Someproposals have been made, which provide pales and rails, which can beassembled on site and joined to posts, avoiding the use of welding andin some respects, avoiding bolting. These proposals preserve thestep-wise accommodation of rising or falling ground and this tends tocomplicate the fixing of the pales to the rails and the rails to theposts.

This invention addresses the problem discussed above in regard tofencing and palisades on rising and falling ground.

THE INVENTION

A palisade in accordance with this invention comprises a plurality ofpales mounted in at least one rail, preferably two or more rails bypassing through apertures in the rail or rails, the rail or rails fixedto posts in a hinged or pivoted manner, the apertures providingclearances with respect to the pales sufficient to enable a freelypivoting action of the pales and rails to move from a rectangular shapedoutline to adopt a parallelogram shaped outline, the pales having pivotformations that locate the pales with respect to the rails and controlpivoting of the pales with respect to the rails when the pivoting actionoccurs.

Advance preparation of the palisade for a particular slope is notnecessary, it simply adopts the required inclination as it is erected.

The pales and rails will not be fixed to each other by any rigid means,for example, they will not be welded to each other and preferably therails will not be fixed to the posts in any rigid way, e.g. not weldedto the posts, providing for a complete absence of welding requirement onsite and at a factory. The pales and rails can conveniently be assembledon site, allowing dense packing of the pales, rails and posts separatelyand hence economical transport to site.

The key integer of the invention is the features specifically aimed atthe facility for a substantial, free pivoting action of the assembledpales and rails, which allows the palisade simply to follow the groundsurface as it inclines or declines. The pivot formations are preferablysingular protrusions on the pales, in order to facilitate the pivotaction. The pivot formations are provided in a convenient manner duringmanufacture of the pales: steel pales can conveniently have button-likeprotrusions pressed from the pale. By providing for a protrusion to belocated above a bottom rail and a protrusion below a top rail and fixingthe rails to posts, each pale can not be vertically removed from therails.

Alternatively, pales can have pins passing through the pale to form apivoting axis, in relation to the rail and other mechanically equivalentpivot formations or means of pivoting can be adopted. A pair of singularprotrusions can be provided at diametrically opposite positions of apale, to provide a more positively controlled pivoting.

The pivot formations can also have the favourable effect of providing atight connection between each pale and the rails, preventing loosenessor any tendency to rattling, despite the clearance. A preferredarrangement is to have the protrusion above the bottom rail and belowthe top rail, where two rails are provided. The bottom rail is securedto the posts, the pales are passed into the apertures in the bottom railand then the top rail is passed over the pales. When assembled this wayand the top rail is secured onto the posts, the pales can neither belifted up nor forced down. This is achieved without restricting thepivot action. As an alternative the pales can be assembled to the railsas a panel on the ground or shop floor and then the panel fastened tothe posts.

The pivoted fixing of the rails to the posts can use fasteners directlyfrom rail to post or indirectly using hinges, brackets or fish plates orthe like.

The invention can be applied to pales and rails of various crosssectional shapes, e.g. rolled steel joists of angled or other crosssections, steel plate bent into prismatic forms, i.e. elongated with anextending cross sectional shape, extrusions e.g. of aluminium, a plasticor composite, timber of various cross sectional shapes as can beproduced by joinery machines. Metal pales are commonly made in a “V” or“W” cross sectional shape, rails in a “V”, channel or round or angulartubular cross sectional shape, which may be mentioned merely by way ofexample, many cross sectional shapes are suitable for this invention.Solid square, round, diamond or rectangular shapes can also be used. Itis an advantage of the invention that it is not specific to a particularcross section. Where solid or hollow shapes are used pairs of singularpivot formations will preferably be used. Similarly the posts orstandards can be of various different cross sectional shapes, extendinglongitudinally. Where rails of solid cross sectional shape are used,tapered apertures are preferably provided, the taper corresponding tothe maximum angle of inclination of the pales relative to the railsdeviating from orthogonal, which is provided for. The aperture size inthe cases of both solid and tubular rails will differ on an uppersurface of the rail from a lower surface of the rail, to allow for thepivoting.

The ease of installation on site, which is provided by the inventionsuits it to do-it-yourself applications and to small jobbers, who maypurchase kits of the components that make up the invention frommanufacturers or building suppliers etc.

THE DRAWINGS

The invention is further described by way of non-limiting examples, withreference to the drawings, in which:—

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of a palisade according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of a post according to the invention,

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the post according to the invention,

FIG. 4 is an end elevation of a post according to the invention,

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of a paling according to the invention,

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a paling according to the invention,

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of a rail according to the invention,

FIG. 8 is a plan view of the rail according to the invention,

FIG. 9 is an end elevation of the rail according to the invention,

FIG. 10 is a plan view of an alternative rail according to theinvention,

FIG. 11 is a side elevation of a bracket according to the invention,

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the bracket according to the invention,

FIG. 13 is a side elevation of a palisade panel according to theinvention,

FIG. 14 is a side elevation of another palisade panel according to theinvention, where the use of more than two rails is illustrated,

FIG. 15 is a side elevation of another palisade panel according to theinvention,

FIG. 16 is a side elevation of a pivotal fixing of a rail to a post,

FIG. 17 is a side elevation of another pivotal fixing of a rail to apost,

FIG. 18 is a side elevation of another pivotal fixing of a rail to apost,

FIG. 19 is a side elevation of a hinged fixing of a rail to a post,

FIG. 20 shows how the palisade adjusts to sloping ground,

FIG. 21 is a plan view on a solid pale of square cross section,

FIG. 22 is a plan view on a solid pale of round (circular) crosssection,

FIG. 23 is a cross sectional end elevation on a solid rail, with a palepassing through,

FIG. 24 is a cross sectional end elevation on a hollow square tubularrail, and

FIG. 25 is a cross sectional end elevation of a right angle sectionrail, with a pale passing through.

THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows the appearance of a palisade 1 according to the invention,traversing a ground surface 2, which has a decline 3 followed by anincline 4-5 of varying inclinations. The palisade has posts 6, which arefounded in the ground, rails 7 and 8, which are fixed to the posts andpales 9, which are mounted in the rails.

FIGS. 2 to 4 show a post or standard 10 according to the invention,which has the cross sectional shape of an “I” beam, in steel. The topend 11 is shaped to an apex 12 and a series of spaced holes 13 isprovided for bolting rails to the post.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a pale 14, which has two notches or protrusions 15and 16 located on the longitudinal centre line of the pale to serve aspivot formations; the top 17 and bottom 18 of the pale are given spikedshapes to discourage scaling the palisade or crawling under it. The palehas a flattened “W” cross sectional shape, with wings extending from thelimbs of the “W” shape.

FIGS. 7 to 9 show a rail 19, which has a cross sectional shape of aright angle, being a stock rolled steel joist. It has punched out of ita multiplicity of apertures 20, which are shaped to accommodate thepales with a clearance that allows the pales to pivot in the apertureson the notches, which act like pivots. Holes 21 at the ends of the railsallow pivotal connection to the posts of the palisade.

FIG. 10 shows another rail 22, in which the pales are more widely spacedwhen inserted into the apertures 23 provided in this rail.

FIGS. 11 and 12 show a right angle bracket 24, which has slotted holes25 and 26, the bracket is bolted to a post through one hole and boltedto a rail through the other hole, allowing pivotal connection of therail to the post.

FIG. 13 shows a palisade 27, in which pales 28 are retained in place bytwo rails 29 and 30, the rails fixed to posts 31, which are founded inconcrete 32 and 33 in the ground 34. Singular protrusions 35 above thelower rail 30 and 36 below the upper rail 29, not only retain the palesin position, but serve as the pivotal points of intersection betweenpales and rails, from which they cannot be removed. The rails are shownas solid bars or square tubes, in this example. The protrusions wedge inthe apertures in the rails to make a tight fit without limiting thepivotal action. The bolts used can be of the type that cannot be removedonce tightened.

FIG. 14 shows another palisade 37 made by using the invention, withthree rails 38, 39 and 40 and alternating long pales 41 and short pales42. The posts 43 are set in concrete 44 in the ground 45. The long palesare held in place by protrusions that form pivot formations locatedbelow the top rail 38 and above the bottom rail 40 or middle rail 39.The short pales are held in place by pivot formations located below themiddle rail 39 and above the bottom rail 40.

FIG. 15 shows another palisade 46, using three rails 47, 48 and 49 withpales 50 and 51 set alternately between the top rail and middle rail andthe middle rail and bottom rail. Posts 52 are again set in concrete 53in the ground 54. Protrusion formations are again provided in the mannerdescribed before to hold the pales in position, and specifically toserve as a pivotal point of interaction between pales and rails.

FIG. 16 shows the brackets 24 of FIGS. 11 and 12 used to bolt the rails19/22 of FIGS. 7 to 10 to a post 11 of FIGS. 2 to 4. The brackets arefixed t̂ the posts by use of rivets 55, which have nuts 56 swaged to therivets or self shear nuts are used and thereafter not removable. Similarrivets are used to fix the rails to the brackets pivotally. This allowsthe palisade to adjust in a parallelogram fashion to the inclination ofthe ground at the position in which the palisade is erected. Advancepreparation of the palisade for a particular slope is not necessary, itsimply adopts the required inclination as it is erected. The bracketsare staggered to provide that the rails show a continuous line visually,from one side of the post to the other. It is for this reason that thepost is given sets of holes, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4. It is also forthis reason that the brackets have slotted apertures in order toaccommodate maximum adjustability according to the various degrees ofslope of the ground.

Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 17, the brackets may be bolted at thesame height on the post, using a single bolt, which holds both brackets;for slight slopes as well as level ground this will be satisfactoryvisually. Structurally there is no disadvantage.

FIG. 18 shows a means of fixing the rails 19/22 to the post 11, whichemploys a fish plate 57, which has slotted holes 58 and 59 and bolts 60and 61 are used to bolt the fish plate to the rails. The fish plate ispassed through a slotted hole 62 in the post and once the rails arebolted on, cannot be removed. The hole has a sufficient clearance toallow the fish plate to be angled as required to accommodate theparallelogram-like adjustment of the palisade to inclines. Likewise theslotted holes allow for this inclination.

FIG. 19 shows the use of hinges 63 and 64, which are bolted by blindrivets 65 and 66 respectively to the post 67, shown in this example as asquare tube. The hinges are in turn bolted to the rails 68 and 69 bybolts and self shear nuts 70 and 71 respectively. The ends of the railsare cut off obliquely to accommodate the angling of the rails,alternatively slotted holes can be used to provide for thisaccommodation. Again the hinges allow the parallelogram action, which isa feature of this invention.

FIG. 20 shows an example of how the palisade adjusts to sloping ground.All of the palisades shown in FIGS. 13 to 15 can adjust in this way, asrequired by the ground surface.

FIG. 21 shows a square pale 72 passing through an aperture 76 in a rail73 with a pair of singular protrusions 74 and 75 at diametricallyopposite positions. The protrusions wedge in the aperture and provide apivot function for the pale in the rail. The aperture in the rail has aclearance especially in the longitudinal direction 88 of the rail, toprovide unrestricted pivoting of the pale in the aperture.

FIG. 22 shows an analogous arrangement for the case of a round pale, thesame reference numerals are used for corresponding parts as describedwith reference to FIG. 21. In the case of the round pale, however, anick 77 and 78 must be provided at diametrically opposite positions inthe aperture in the rail, in which the protrusions wedge to ensure thatthe pale will not rotate about its axis in use. The aperture is aslotted hole, in the longitudinal direction to allow unrestrictedpivoting of the pale in the aperture.

FIG. 23 shows a solid rail of some thickness, in which a taperedaperture is provided to allow unrestricted pivoting of a pale in theaperture. The aperture is thus smaller in the top surface 79 of the railthan in the bottom surface 80.

FIG. 24 shows a similar provision for pivoting in the case of a hollowrail, where the top wall 81 has a smaller size (that fits the pale) andthe lower wall 82 has a larger size, e.g. a slotted hole.

FIG. 25 shows a pale 83 in the form of a right angle section bar passingthrough a rail 84 also in the form of a right angle bar. The pale has abutton protrusion 85 pressed out at 86, which wedges in the aperture 87provided in the rail. This provides a pivot for the pale in the rail.This illustrates a lower rail, with the protrusion above the rail, whichprevents the pale from being removed vertically downwards.

REFERENCE NUMERALS

-   1 palisade-   2 ground surface-   3 decline-   4 incline-   5 incline-   6 post-   7 rail-   8 rail-   9 pale-   10 post or standard-   11 top end of post-   12 apex-   13 spaced holes-   14 pale-   15 protrusions-   16 protrusions-   17 top-   18 bottom-   19 rail-   20 aperture-   21 hole-   22 rail-   23 aperture-   24 bracket-   25 slotted hole-   26 slotted hole-   27 palisade-   28 pale-   29 rail-   30 rail-   31 post-   32 concrete-   33 concrete-   34 ground-   35 protrusion-   36 protrusion-   37 palisade-   38 rail-   39 rail-   40 rail-   41 long pale-   42 short pale-   43 post-   44 concrete-   45 ground-   46 palisade-   47 rail-   48 rail-   49 rail-   50 pale-   51 pale-   52 post-   53 concrete-   54 ground-   55 rivet-   56 nuts-   57 fish plate-   58 hole-   59 hole-   60 bolt-   61 bolt-   62 slotted hole-   63 hinge-   64 hinge-   65 blind rivet-   66 blind rivet-   67 post-   68 rail-   69 rail-   70 bolt-   71 bolt-   72 square pale-   73 rail-   74 singular protrusion-   75 singular protrusion-   76 aperture-   77 nick-   78 nick-   79 top surface-   80 bottom surface-   81 top wall-   82 lower wall-   83 pale-   84 rail-   85 protrusion-   86 indent forming protrusion-   87 aperture-   88 longitudinal direction

1. A palisade, which includes a plurality of pales mounted in at leasttwo rails by passing through apertures in the rails and posts on whichthe rails are mounted, in which the rails are fixed to posts in a hingedor pivoted manner, the pales have pivot formations that locate the paleswith respect to the rails and control pivoting of the pales with respectto the rails, the apertures provide clearances with respect to the palessufficient to enable a freely pivoting action of the pales and rails tomove from a rectangular shaped outline to adopt a parallelogram shapedoutline, in which the pivot formations are singular protrusions on thepales, provided by a pressing process during manufacture of the pales,characterized in that the pivot formation have the effect of providing atight connection between each pale and the rails by wedging in theapertures and able to pivot.
 2. A palisade as claimed in claim 1, inwhich the pivoted fixing of the rails to the posts uses angle bracketson “I” posts, interposed between the posts and rails.
 3. (canceled) 4.The palisade as claimed in claim 1, made by the method wherein thebottom rails are secured to the posts, the pales are passed into theapertures in the bottom rails and then the top rails are passed over thepales and secured to the posts.
 5. The palisade as claimed in claim 1,made by the method wherein the pales are passed into the apertures inthe bottom rails and then the top rails are passed over the pales andthe top and bottom rails are secured to the posts.
 6. The palisade asclaimed in claim 4, in which the pales are passed into the apertures inthe bottom rails, then middle rails are passed over the pales which havebeen passed into apertures in the bottom rails, then further pales arepassed into apertures in the middle rails and then the top rails arepassed over the further pales and at least the top and bottom rails aresecured to the posts.
 7. (canceled)
 8. The palisade as claimed in claim1, forming part of a kit having a plurality of pales, the pales havingpivot formations in the form of protrusions pressed in the pales, aplurality of rails that have apertures, the apertures providing aclearance with respect to the pales sufficient to enable a pivotingaction of the pales with respect to the rails, a plurality of posts,means for hinged or pivoted fixing of the rails to the posts,characterized in that the protrusions can wedge in the apertures. 9.(canceled)
 10. (canceled)
 11. A panel for a palisade as claimed in claim1, which comprises at least two rails, a plurality of pales which passthrough apertures in the rails and a post, in which the pales have pivotformations in the form of protrusions pressed in the pales that locatethe pales with respect to the rails and control pivoting of the paleswith respect to the rails, the apertures provide clearances with respectto the pales sufficient to enable a freely pivoting action of the palesand rails to move from a rectangular shaped outline to adopt aparallelogram shaped outline, characterized in that the protrusionswedge in the apertures. 12-19. (canceled)
 20. The palisade as claimed inclaim 2, made by the method wherein the bottom rails are secured to theposts, the pales are passed into the apertures in the bottom rails andthen the top rails are passed over the pales and secured to the posts.21. The palisade as claimed in claim 2, made by the method wherein thepales are passed into the apertures in the bottom rails and then the toprails are passed over the pales and the top and bottom rails are securedto the posts.
 22. The palisade as claimed in claim 5, in which the palesare passed into the apertures in the bottom rails, then middle rails arepassed over the pales which have been passed into apertures in thebottom rails, then further pales are passed into apertures in the middlerails and then the top rails are passed over the further pales and atleast the top and bottom rails are secured to the posts.
 23. A panel fora palisade as claimed in claim 2, which comprises at least two rails, aplurality of pales which pass through apertures in the rails and a post,in which the pales have pivot formations in the form of protrusionspressed in the pales that locate the pales with respect to the rails andcontrol pivoting of the pales with respect to the rails, the aperturesprovide clearances with respect to the pales sufficient to enable afreely pivoting action of the pales and rails to move from a rectangularshaped outline to adopt a parallelogram shaped outline, characterized inthat the protrusions wedge in the apertures.
 24. The palisade as claimedin claim 2 forming part of a kit, the kit having a plurality of pales,the pales having pivot formations in the form of protrusions pressed inthe pales, a plurality of rails that have apertures, the aperturesproviding a clearance with respect to the pales sufficient to enable apivoting action of the pales with respect to the rails, a plurality ofposts, means for hinged or pivoted fixing of the rails to the posts,characterized in that the protrusions can wedge in the apertures.